Alison nodded, "Agreed. As much as I would love to stay here, we have a duty and I am not one to leave a man behind."

At the lodge, Abaddon learns that Calphi does have a favorite hobby, but has a hard time indulging it here:  Calphi collects classical art.  Paintings, sculpture, artistically crafted furniture, pottery, things like that.  It is her way of making herself feel more refined and "civilized".  She is especially fond of old things.

***************************************

Their next stop is the fur market, which the party reaches the next day, having talked their way past the market’s closing time- the trappers go home for supper, some of which was previously wearing the furs being sold.

It is not exactly a fierce, active bastion of naked capitalism, like many markets.  This is because there are less than two dozen trappers in the area, and not all of them are in the market at the same time.  What’s more, unlike craftsmen who make their wares, trappers get what they get- one trapper cannot claim to have “the best” with any consistency.  Buyers typically need many furs, 20 giant nutria make one long coat, and so the buyers will often buy up furs from all the trappers present at the same time.  Fur buyers aren’t constantly showing up, so in between selling, the trappers (often, their family members) are generally working on their furs and their equipment, socializing, planning, etc.  The market functions as a social club for them.

The Giant Nutria (AKA, Dire Water Rat) is the signature fur of the region.  It’s not unlike a beaver skin, soft, and very water repellant.  The Fidelis region isn’t generally known for high quality furs.  Much further south, in colder regions, or in mountains, the animals reach much higher floof levels.  Fidelis is warm but fairly wet (though the rain tends to be gentle, and arrive at oddly convenient times, like overnight) and the giant nutria in the waterways keep a small community of trappers going.

There are about a half dozen trappers here.  Add to that family members of trappers here and trappers out trapping, and there are over twenty of them, working, talking, cleaning furs, comparing furs.  They are the people most familiar with the countryside, and regularly range out as far as 30 miles from the town, staying at campsites they maintain.  Each family has a traditional territory, and they try to avoid intruding on each other’s turf- after all, the trapper you poach from might be your neighbor the next day in the market.

In addition to furs, the trappers also sell things they gather in the forests, especially wild mushrooms.  There are large baskets full of them.

The gnome looked carefully at the furs brought in, and the pictures by any of the traders, and drew upon his magical power.  Flipping the cap from his waterskin, he squirted a stream of water high into the air.  As the stream arced, it thickened together, and formed into a prancing Nutria formed of water; a moment later, it turned white and blue as it froze over.

"Oh, do kneel, if you would be so kind," he requested, and the ice creature complied, allowing him atop it, and it seemed to move only as he so directed it - clearly being an obedient ice monster.

In addition to hopefully drawing a bit of attention for discussion purposes, it also gave the gnome a bit of a help in sightlines that were too-often designed for tall folk.

"I'm afraid that I don't have the skills to fashion a gnomish-sized coat from your fine furs, but I would definitely purchase some of your mushrooms - if you would share a tale of them.  But definitely the mushrooms.

"We're helping a friend look for his missing friend Derne - a fine, young paladin. and we heard that he had been helped by some of the folk that know the area - and I could have difficulty knowing of folk that would know more of the region."  Abadon created an image of Derne to show the party, and thanked the talking on the road, and time spent clarifying how he looked and move and spoke - tho' this image was silent.

"I believe he was looking for something special about the lake waters, or perhaps a special flow of water into the lake.  Does that or the name or picture ring a bell to anyone?"

2. The Gnome has an instant audience.  Free magic show!  Heads turn, youngsters drop what they are doing and run over for a better look.  (A few parents complain).

When Abbadon turns to his own questions, the gang in the Trapper’s Market is already in a positive mood.

They let the oldest woman present do the speaking.  She looks like she could be kicking back with her peers at the lodge, but Hermina Woodhill is matriarch to her clan which includes a good portion of the town’s trappers, and here, she presides like a queen over a few trappers and their families.  She couldn’t run things sitting in a comfortable chair by a lake!

“That’s the hardest stretch for any of us,” she says.  “Nothing’s easy, anywhere, but that river… the animals seem to have a cunning and luck you don’t see elsewhere.  Some people say it happens when Unicorns live in a forest, but no one’s seen a Unicorn here.  Maybe Dragons do the same magic.”

The center of attention for entertainment has shifted.  Children turn away from Abbadon to listen to Mother Woodhill talk about Unicorns and Dragons.

“Yes, it’s true, the lake water is blessed with Celestial Power.  No shadow or curse ever bothers this town.  We don’t see the evils that plague other places, even though there always seem to be Goblins in the hills.  Some years ago there was a cleric up from Fidelis who tested it somehow and told us.  He said he’d keep it quiet, last thing we wanted here was a flood of pilgrims.

“But where does it come from?  That’s what your friend Derne wanted to know.  And that’s the hard stretch I mentioned.  You see, five little rivers feed the lake.  Nothing you can’t wade across, nothing’s navigable past the lake.  There’s one  where, we all know, it’s really hard for trapping.  It goes on quite a way, because we’ve followed it two days and not found a source.  The trappers who’ve tried, and there are a few in my family, they see the animals, they see the signs, but they can only catch a few.  It’s not worth the effort, so no one goes.

“Something else I know.  You might have heard of our Dragons.  Every now and then you see one.  You go that way, the chances of seeing one go up.  They come and go from that direction, sometimes, so maybe they have a home.  They’ve never said where they live, but they’ve mentioned a name; Peluciar.”

One of the younger children suddenly interrupts:  “Peluciar is a Magical Castle!”  Obviously, stories have been told.

“Well so it’s believed," Hermina says, "because Gold Dragons call it home.  Where else would they live?  But we can’t be sure of it, can we?  We could write a book about the tales of Peluciar, but... ”

She lowers her voice, and checks to make sure none of the children are close enough to hear.

"...between you and me, we made them all up, because no one's been there."

Mae speaks quietly to the characters when she can.

"There's a reason the Gold Dragons wouldn't tell anyone where their home is.  Creatures like that are powerful, but they have enemies.  I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the Goblin sightings here weren't Goblin scouts trying to find them.  I'll bet there are dark powers that would reward a successful scout who could betray their location."
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:29, Tue 16 Feb 2021.

Mae thinks, and unlike the others present, not only is she a paladin herself, she knows Derne.

"It's very possible that what Derne ended up doing, and what he set out to do, are two different things.  He might have come this far and even further trying to understand the water of Veritas... the fact that we know so little about it though it is so close to us makes me curious as well.  But important as that might sound, it's not the foremost of a Paladin's tasks.  It's just satisfying curiosity.  We are not explorers... we are Paladins.  If he stumbled across something else of higher priority, it would have changed his course.

"And since he hasn't returned... that higher priority probably still exists."

Alison turned to Mae and nodded, "Agreed, we have had a nice respite but we need to be about our business." There is something dark in her countenance, and she is being a bit more ... "pushy" than normal. Add it up and she thinks they are in some kind of trap and need to leave pronto.

"It certainly sounds like we have our path planned out, in that case," Abaddon thanked the merchants and traders as he finished jotting down notes of their tales.

He finished his business, collected his mushrooms, and thanked the parties one more.  The situation had provided some information to the party, and encouragingly with water along the entire path, which pleased the belowground gnomish traveller.  Bringing even a greater smile to his lips, the children and their elders' response to the small magic... that was a pleasant thing indeed.

"Fascinating," Atraxus breathes as he hears the tales told by the people of Veritas. He thanks those willing to speak with them, and joins the others. The Half-Orc nods in agreement with Mae when she mentions Derne's task changing.

"The presence of the Goblins seems odd," he offers, "although I wonder if the Gold Dragons' influence extends to them as well. If not, then perhaps there is something driving them on that can withstand the dragons' auras of goodness."

The Half-Orc rubs his chin in thought as he considers the next steps for the group to take.

"Will Thaller accompany us?" he asks the group. "I know he cares for Derne, but I worry how he will do should we face danger. He seems...ummm...unfamiliar with such hardships." The Half-Orc does his best to put his concerns delicately, although it is clear that he has concerns about the man of luxury's mettle.

Thaller looks very worried.  He is clearly unfamiliar with traveling through the wilderness.

"It's not as if I would miss the comforts," he says.  "Well of course I would, but I am the one who brought you this far, it would be dishonorable for me to quit on  you now.  But on the other hand, I am afraid that if bad things happened, I would only hold you up.  I would be completely out of my element, and I would only slow you down."

Mae nods, thinking of the endless circling back to check on Thaller, struggling along...

"You have brought us this far," she says.  "And maybe it would be better if someone stayed behind here, to wait for us, and to see if there was anything else that could be learned."

"I could visit Calphi the Lamia for you," Thaller suggests, trying to remain useful.

"And the rest of us can make better time," Mae says.  "Are we agreed, then?"

Alison looked around to make sure there were no objections.

Abaddon nodded, raising one finger.  "That, is course, subject to arranging boat travel.  If we're planning on proceeding over to the river mouth, and up the bland area, it might be wise to have a boat for travel, and we can proceed overland in alternate choice.

"Thaller, your information was most helpful, and the transportation here swift and comfortable.  I had been considering some options to allow your vehicle to proceed overland off the groomed trail, but if you are okay in remaining here, and seeking out information from the other sources, then it seems assistance is there to check that out, and we can proceed more directly by water.

"I can create a small boat, or assist our speed, but it might be wise to have an actual wooden craft in case anything were to happen to me - the Great Source of Magic be praised to otherwise matters resolving.  It also means we're able to avoid most of the troubles overland that could delay or sidetrack our search, and that we retrace Derne's path as best possible, instead of trying to pick it up partway."

"A boat!" Thaller says enthusiastically.  "There's something I can do, get you a boat!"

The party quickly learns that there are two approaches to this.  There is the lake itself, and although the lake is less than 3 miles across at the widest point, it is long, and it is about ten miles to the point where the lake ends and you have to follow the source river.

Then there is the river courses upstream of the lake.  These are not fully navigable, even by small craft.  When the trappers go up these rivers, they use small boats of frame and hide which they can carry past rocky and shallow spots.  The party would be squeezed if they had only of these.

If you just want to be carried across the lake are willing to walk the rest of the way along the river, Thaller will arrange travel.  It turns out that the best person to do this is Calphi the Lamia, who has one of the larger boats, from which she fishes.

On the other hand, if the boat-walk-boat-walk concept is chosen, Thaller will invest in a couple of the small frame and hide boats- they are similar to canoes.  These offer easier travel on the water, but must be carried when they can't be used.

"I do believe I can assist with the rocky and shallow spots," Abaddon offered at the suggestions.  "The magic granted to me can change the flow of water or move it in alternate paths.  The range is not great, but thirty feet or so is reasonable to assist a pair of vessels or three - I would recommend myself in the middle vessel.  Nor the area it can effect, but five feet is usually enough to bypass most problems, and I can cast it as often as required.  I should think that we can reverse the flow of the stream in the same range, which will make travel upstream much easier than it would be for most traversing the area.

"The Caliph's boat would seem the preferred route for crossing the lake, as we would be better off with her information as well as likely finding a faster trip than with small canoes or such used in portaging.  If a pair or three of the portagable boats could be towed along, it should be minor a drag upon her vessel, but speed our travel and increase our knowledge base.

"We then separate at the lake exit, and continue upwards in our smaller vessels."

Alison nodded along with the plan. "It seems fair. I won't be much help in a boat I'm afraid. Land soldier not a sailor."

Alison will have to learn... or it's a long trip walking along a bank!

Thaller hires Calphi for the lake crossing, and rents a pair of rowboats from trappers.  It's only Alison, Atraxus, Mae and Abadon, and more than two will have a very hard time staying close enough together for the Gnome's magic to affect them both.

Calphi is not surprised to see someone with his abilities- she calls him a water-shaper, and notes that the skill is common among the River Elves, who live a nomadic life along the inland rivers of the Southlands.  She can do it herself, hence her life along the water here.

The Lamia can take human form, but when she needs strength she is in her natural form:  she has the lower body of a lion, and a very strong upper body.

"Strength complements magic," she advises as the set out.  "Never count on magic alone."

She engages in mostly polite, small talk as she steers the boat across the lake.  But as the destination nears, she dips into things more serious.

"There is a great power there.  I can feel it.  I am still what I was, and I can tell you, power calls in ways... most people... don't feel.  That's why you find, ahh,  what you find in the lost, forgotten places.  The power has called to them.  Be ready to face whatever has answered that call.  And for a while... you see those bright red flowers?  Follow them, as the stream branches off, stay with them as long as you can.  Be careful.  Good, evil, power of any kind can be dangerous.  Always dangerous.  The difference is in caring about what it does."

"There is indeed power in good, neutral, and evil, for power is not evil or good in itself, but in how it is used," Abadon agreed with the strange lamia's discussional points raised.  "Certainly some powers are used for goodly means and others for evil goals, but I like to think that all magic has an inherent goodness... though that means using it for wicked purposes is all the greater travesty.

"Follow the red flowers - so noted.

"Thank you for the passage, wisdom, and instruction, Calphi."

Alison helped as best she could. She would row or whatever but steering was out of the question. When they arrived she tipped her hat, "Thank you." Then she followed Abadon. "Red flowers...red flowers..."

"You understand," Calphi says to Abaddon as she prepares to depart.  "Good can be power and all power can be dangerous. Don't underestimate this place.  It's not like the Dragons invite us in.  They must like their privacy, even being creatures of good.  Good luck, I hope you find your paladin, he was very nice to everyone."

Mae gives a slight smile.  Paladins tried to be nice to people.. it's the easiest and cheapest form of good, they said, costs nothing and does such wonders.

"Thank you for your help," she says.  "I suppose we take it from here."

It's mid day.  The trip to the far end of the the lake had taken half the day.  Here, one river feeds lake.  They don't see another- if it breaks into tributaries, it's not at that point yet.  On either side, the ground is flat and grassy meadow, with the relatively thin forest keeping its distance about a hundred yards away.

On the south bank, there are bright red flowers.  Not on the north bank.  The river is slow and easy here, if they choose to go further by boat.

With the others except Alison developing a bad case of silence, Abadon declined to inquire of them their thoughts, and simply continued onwards.  The simplest of knots connected the two boats, and he settled into the front one, gesturing for Mae and the others to take their seats.  Rather than reaching for the oars, Abadon simply placed a blanket folded over the seat, to arrange a comfortable seat for himself, and settled in for a long stretch.

When the party was ready, the gnome drew upon his granted powers, thanking the great provider of magic, and gestured onwards.  The might of the river slowed around the gnome's boat, then reversed, flowing backwards - only in the region around the boats.  The next section of river joined the first, until a small portion of the river continued to flow in opposite direction to the main body, and conveying the party's two boats along the red-flowered riverbank, without the need of physical rowing or worrying about the riverflow... for the river flowed where the gnome directed.

---

OOC: onward ho up the red-flowered river! 

"We appreciate your help," Atraxus says to Calphi, nodding gratefully to the lamia. "With any luck, we shall retrieve our lost paladin and stay out of the dragons' hair---er...scales."

Atraxus follows the others silently, a frown across his face as he considers the lamia's warning. Given the wondrous nature of the water's properties and the attempt to keep the location secret, he worries about what may come from thoughtlessly poking about.

"I can take point," Atraxus offers to the others. "My shield is hardy enough that I should be able to take a hit or two should we stumble across Goblins."

OOC:

Not sure if we need a survival roll, or if we just need to follow the red flowers.

"Oh, a most capital idea, Atraxus.  Yes, let you and your fine large shield to take the point of the vessel, and Alison and Qui-Lin in the second vessel."

As the joined boats began a quick trekking upstream, the gnome beaming with the magic rewarding them all, another idea percolated in the strange fellow's mind.  He focused his will again, drawing upon the gifts granted to him by the god who shared magic with the world, and released another small portion.

The front boat disappeared within a rolling wave, curling backwards against the stream's general flow, and making the second boat appear as though it were tied to some creature underwater.   The benefit of the curling back wave hid the first boat, and would hide the second boat from upstream line of sight, and certainly drew less attention than a pair of boats in the middle of nowhereland.

---

OOC:
Minor Image of a big recurving wave (like bouncing backstream from a rock or riverbed hole), once a minute.  It might reduce concerns from upstream v. obvious targets, but the real benefit is providing cover from ranged attacks for Abadon and Atraxus.

Abadon's main duty otherwise is using his water cantrip to keep the party bobbing along with the current speed to save their strength, and avoid water hazards.

Alison kept watching, "Red flowers, gotta find red flowers."

They make their way upriver in their little boats, aided by some magic.

They soon make their first discovery.  As they've been told, yes, Goblins and other creatures are drawn to this region, like moths to flame.  Something about an essence of pure good draws the evil hearted to destroy it.

The urge to ruin.

But to destroy it, they have to find it, just like you do.  Some apparently did not do so well.  You discover the remains of a small camp along a bank, created and abandoned in the recent past, with a few Goblin weapons and arrows scattered around, as if there was a fight.

There are also a few Goblins scattered around, quite dead and mangled, as if there was a fight, and they did not come out the winners.

"Goblin camp- definitely didn't turn out well for them." The gnome's comment was quiet and matter-of-fact, and he kept his magical current work continuing the pair of vessels upriver and around the larger river rocks.

"Although I always appreciate magic, scenes like that certainly make me appreciate it all over anew."

---

OOC:
21:03, Today: Abadon Crystalfist rolled 14 using 1d20+4.  Perception.
What can we tell of their wounds, how the battle/ambush played out?

Mae sees what Abaddon is doing, and does her own analysis.  She has an easier time reading the  scene than the Gnome does, and picks up a few things.

"Three died here, but the camp was for at least twice that many.  There are four dropped shields."

The ones that did die here died in grisly fashion, being struck by large and savage weapons.  Something big enough to take some chunks out of the surrounding vegetation.  Nothing else left remains here, the battle appears to have been a very one sided attack on a Goblin camp.

"There were survivors."